Team Members:Matt "The Brains" Susskind , Alex "The Muscle" Beecham , Orion "The Useless Chick" Phillips, Alissa "The Looks" Elan , Max "The Wild Card" Kohrman
GROUP NAME: THE FDRmy ("army"/FDR is on the dime...get it?)
Natland Note (10/29/10): I have posted up the pictures taken of the ferrofluid today with the school camera at the bottom of this page so you can cut and paste them into your proposal. Natland Note (10/26/10): At the bottom of this page I listed some information/links regarding electromagnets. Enjoy.
Beecham: Drawing and Materials - You have the SolidWorks and know the dimensions.
Max: Hazardous Materials & Mass - You have the MSDS and you're the one ordering the plastics, which is going to make up most of the mass, everything else should be relatively neglible.
Orion: Science- We have most of this already in the paper, just make sure to elaborate a little.
Alissa: Circuit Diagram - Make sure to read what it says about how to do it. ALSO, talk to Natland about figuring out the power we're gonna use, more or less.
Left-over: Fasteners & How to contain the fluid - These are things that we've gotta discuss and figure out, not so much trouble to add in once we've got it.
Science - Orion
Provide some material from your team’s proposal to summarize the science aspects of the experiment. Include a one or two sentence summary of the hypothesis or research objective. Indicate the range of samples and/or conditions during testing. Identify explicitly what measurements will be made to verify the hypothesis or to answer the team’s research
question.
Drawing - Beecham
Provide a detailed, labeled drawing of the apparatus as mounted for operations on the NASA-provided Mounting Adaptor Plate. Dimensions (with units) and locations of the major components should be shown. Include the Mounting Adaptor Plate in the drawing.
Materials - Beecham
A list of materials with type and quantity (and/or thickness) for all experiment components must be included. Don’t forget the sample materials (if any) of the experiment, such as salad oil or ginger ale fluid.
Hazardous Materials - Max
A list of materials with type and quantity (and/or thickness) for all chemicals used must be included. Identify what (if any) chemical reaction products are created. If there is a question about the acceptability of a particular material or chemical reaction product, discuss it with your team’s NASA mentor right away rather than waiting to include it in the design project.
Fasteners -
Indicate the size and type of fasteners (e.g. bolts, nuts, and screws) to be used in the construction of the major components. Bear in mind the Mounting Adaptor Plate has standard 1⁄4-20 threaded holes. Fastener size is a concern for the integrity of the experiment when it “hits bottom” in the drop tower. Pieces of the experiment that may break could damage NASA equipment.
Fluids -
Describe how fluids are contained within the experiment apparatus.
Survival - Matt
Describe design features that ensure survival of apparatus after impact of repeated drops. Please describe how you provide secondary containment for your fluids in case of a leak in the primary container.
Mass - Max
Prepare a table with the mass (use consistent units) of all components of the experiment apparatus. This table should include all experiment fluids, samples, wires, connectors, Mounting Adaptor Plate, etc. Ensure that the total mass is less than the limit specified in the DIME Experiment Requirements Document.
Procedure - Matt
Provide a step-by-step procedure to prepare your team’s experiment apparatus for a drop in the drop tower during DIME Drop Days. This should include the steps necessary to initially prepare the experiment in a laboratory as well as any steps immediately before the experiment is dropped. In addition, any action needed AFTER the experiment is released to fall should be included in this procedure. The DIME Educational Rig, which is used to carry the experiment, has a time delay relay that may be used to initiate an action at an adjustable time after the experiment is released in the drop tower. See the DIME Experiment Requirements Document for more details. The steps necessary to recover the data from the experiment after the drop is complete should also be included. While we realize the team is not really familiar with the drop tower operations, the point of this requirement is to make a team think about the steps involved in preparing the experiment for operations, what the experiment has to do during microgravity, and what has to be done to the experiment to ready it for another drop.
Electrical Diagram - Alissa
If your experiment has an electrical devices, provide an electrical circuit diagram of your experiment with identification of each component. Include wire sizes (i.e. wire gauge) and fuse sizes. Ensure adequate length of cable to the power connectors (see the DIME Experiment Requirements Document). The electrical connectors that plug into the Educational Rig are provided by NASA. All other electrical components are to be supplied by the team.
Time Delay - WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE POWER, PROBABLY WON'T BE USED
III. TEAM ORGANIZATION (Below are sample titles you guys can have, but you can choose somewhat different ones)
Team Coordinator:
Matt Susskind Head Researcher:
Orion Phillips- Alissa Elan Head of Construction/Supplies:
Max Kohrman Head Designer:
Alex Beecham Draft Editor:
Everyone BRAINSTORMING
We all came up with these ideas together, but we are posting using one persons account for now.
More to come....
Group ideas:
1) Bubbles--Do bubbles last longer in microgravity, because gravity is one of the forces that causes bubbles to pop? This one will be probably too hard to test given that you only have 2.2 seconds to perform the experiment in zero-g. Here is an interesting video that does not pertain directly but you might find interesting or may spark an idea: http://www.youtube.com/user/dime10nasa#p/u/11/bmKMJezGTd8
2)Smoke--Fill balloon with a colored gas, observe the differences in the behavior of the gas when the balloon pops in microgravity vs earth gravity. This is an interesting concept, but why should the balloon pop in zero gravity? If you want to observe behavior of the gas, however, you could have something actively pop the balloon. If you do this though, you should first have a hypothesis/prediction as to what should happen (based on knowledge of physics, chemisty, the kinetic theory of gases, etc.) --The idea actually was to construct a device to actively pop the balloon and then observe what happens. We obviously didn't expect it to just pop on its own. Good. It would be interesting to see if you could find video or time-lapse photos of a gas/fluid expanding into an open space to observe and compare the way that it diffuses (if this is what you are thinking to compare/address). It might be worth it to think about creating an enclosed chamber, evacuating it of air (so that only the balloon with the gas remains) and then perform this experiment. If you go along these lines, deciding them how to pop the balloon will be important.
3)Magnets--if a paper clip is suspended between two magnets, what happens to the clip as it enters microgravity? This has been tested a bit in microgravity already (here is a videos below done through DIME), but that does not mean that they have done exhaustive tests on microgravity and magnets. What specifically could you test regarding magnetism (if you are not as sure, we could discuss this more). http://www.youtube.com/user/dime10nasa#p/a/u/2/JFE8L690DUU
4) Ferro fluids-- how would the shape of a ferro fluids change in microgravity?
Run several tests of varrying strengths in regular gravity to see what has the best visable result. Observe in micro gravity
hypothesis = longer spikes, maybe not even spikes
material- we would need to create an iron cone. Hopefully we could cut groves into it horizontaly. (Beecham will talk to Mr. Dubard)
OR we would make an apparatus like this...
where the magnet repels instead of atracting
and we believe that it would form longer spikes
I heard you guys talking about this yesterday in class and found this DIME experiment.
For our experiment, we would set up different strengths of magnets and look at the different effects they have on the fluid's shape.
Since two magnets stuck together act like a more powerful, larger magnet, we could use buy a set of magnets and increase the strength by just adding more magnets. It would also be interesting to test what happens with something really weak, like a refrigerator magnet.
We don't know how the shape of the magnets would affect the results. Would adding the magnets in a square shape cause a noticeably different shape than adding them in a line/ on top of each other? It would seem like adding them on top of each other would be the most similar, but it would also be more difficult to deal with, due to having to change the height of the plastic (probably not a huge problem, but a bit of an inconvenience). Playing with the ferrofluid will help us figure this stuff out though.
Gentlemen and lady, I have ordered you 12 oz of ferrofluid. I can give you the details tomorrow, but don't buy any. Here is the link to what I got you: http://www.magnet4less.com/product_info.php?products_id=396 I ordered you two of these and one of the kits.
Sections I-III are limited to a total of 1500 words. I. SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES
A. Describe briefly and clearly the research question you hope to answer.
How strong of an effect does gravity have on ferrofluid shape relative to the strength various magnets?
Seems decent enough. Could push this a bit further though.
B. Describe how you expect your proposed experiment to be changed by microgravity.
Gravity is not even a factor compared to a strong magnet in the fluid. Thus, we would expect little change from microgravity to regular gravity, but by starting with a strong magnet, and over a few trials, swap out magnets to steadily decrease the pull force with a similar or same surface area, we can find at what threshold of magnet strength, gravity makes a difference to the shape (size of spikes) of ferrofluids.
I don't think that you need to mention the 2006 DIME experiment. Also, I don't think you intend to really increase the strength of the magnet, but decrease it, correct? It could be useful to compare magnet strengths to the magnetic field of the Earth when discussing at what strength of magnet and thus magnetic field does gravity make a difference.
The test could be performed either way. We could start weak and increase the strength until we see a point where increasing the strength results in no change of the fluid, or we could do as you suggest. I'd like to start it off weak because as we've already seen, a strong magnet will make gravity's effect on the fluid very small.
C. Include a hypothesis that can be tested in 2.2 seconds of microgravity. If a magnet were placed under a dish of ferrofluid, the spikes formed by the fluid would be longer in microgravity than in normal gravity, due to the weaker force of gravity pulling down on the fluid (effectively zero, correct?). This effect would be produced when a weak magnet acts on the ferrofluid, though with increasing strengths of magnet, the effect will lessen or disappear altogether.
D. Describe the procedures that will be used to observe, measure and interpret the results (this one will take alot if thought)
As the goal of the experiment is to observe the change in the length of the spikes, visual observation is all that is needed. We are interested in knowing the growth of the spikes and the final size of the spikes in order to compare. Visibility can be made easier with a grid behind the fluid/magnet set-up.
The results will be interpreted by comparing the change and final size of the fluid (spikes) in each test.
E. Describe the purpose and potential benefits from this experiment and address some possible practical applications of the work. Ferro-fluids are a relatively new material. Their applications however, tend to be geared towards equipment that could be used on the ISS or other space missions. By seeing if the fluids are affected by a lack of gravity, we could help NASA make better tools and other devices that use ferrofluids. This would save NASA a lot of money especially since it is so expensive to get something into space. By designing it on earth right the first time, NASA would only have to send one shipment of a device rather than redesign it and then send it into orbit.
I did not quite follow the last sentence here...but I think this is pretty good. Also, look up some other applications of ferrofluids to get other ideas for how to apply what you could learn. Medical? The last sentence means that it would be cheaper/more efficient if NASA designed a device properly the first time and sent it into space once rather than having to redesign it and send it up again. As far as medical applications, my dad uses small amounts of ferrofluids in MRI tests for whatever reason (he explained it to me but it made no sense). In addition, ferrofluids are used as a lubricant in mechanical devices and in electronics and computer parts (hard drives for example).
Also, ferrofluids work well as heatsinks. The Curie Effect shows that magnets become less powerful when heated, so a hot electromagnet surrounded by ferrofluid will heat the surrounding fluid, which will cause it to weaken, causing colder ferrofluid to move in to its place, draw heat, and so on.
Ferrofluids are also used to dampen undesired resonances resulting from a vibrating coil from induced electric energy in a loudspeaker. The fluid, by absorbing the resonances and dissipating the heat generated by the electric energy, significantly improves the sound quality of loudspeakers. Furthermore, biomedical engineers are designing ferrofluids that, through injection, can transport medications through risky areas and passages of the body . http://www.mrsec.wisc.edu/Edetc/background/ferrofluid/index.html Remeber this needs to be done BY Monday Morning! Also, work as a team to tweak PART I II. Technical Plan
A. Give a clear, detailed description of the experimental apparatus to be used and any hardware to be built. At least one figure or diagram of the experimental must be included in section V of your proposal (the Figures section)
Doing a diagram in solid works
Dish with ferrofluid (covered with container to eliminate possible mess) glued on top of a plastic sheet that is bolted to the NASA-supplied plate. Magnets will be placed under the plastic.
B. Describe the expected sequence of events during the operation of the experiment. Explain how it will answer your research question.
First, the pattern of the fluid will be seen in normal gravity before the drop. Then we'll see if the shape of the fluid changes while it is in micro gravity. Depending on the change in shape (or lack thereof) we can see how ferrofluids will behave in micro gravity. -draft
First, the pattern of the fluid will be seen in normal gravity before the drop of each trial. Then we will see if the shape of the fluid (size of spikes) will change or not change in microgravity. Depending on the change in shape (or lack thereof) and the pull force of the magnet during that trial, we will be able to determine roughly at which force of magnet gravity plays a large role in. (ones with a greater change in microgravity means that in regular gravity the force of g plays a role in the shape and is not "out done" by the magnets strength)-final
C. Explain the design features that will allow the experiment to survive the impact and be usable for another drop.
A sheet of plexiglass (polycarbonate-not likely to shatter) will be bolted (with wing nuts for easy assembly) on top of the magnets. This way the magnets will be held in place and the sheet of plexiglass will not break. On top of the sheet of plexiglass we will have the ferrofluid either in a petri dish or just sitting on the plastic. Over the entire apparatus, we will have a clear plastic case that will sit over everything, and will be fastened to the given plate using bolts. This will allow for easy access to the entire apparatus to make the quick swaps of magnets or clean up some ferrofluid. Also, the video camera will be able to see through the clear casing, but to be safe (that no ferrofluid splash will inhibit future trial viewing ability) we will start wiht strong magnets which we are relativley sure will not allow the ferrofluid to move that much in microgravity, or the rapid decceleration at the end.
D. Explain how your experiment will provide useful data which can be collected in 2.2 seconds.
The experiment really depends on seeing a change in the shape of the fluid. 2.2 seconds is more than enough time to see if there is a change especially since we'd only need one good frame of the fluid before we dropped it and another of when it is in free fall.
E. Describe ground testing prior to reduced-gravity testing.
Using the same rig for the experiment, we'd see if the fluid's shape changes when we increase the strength of the magnet. Basically, we'd run the experiment without the drop part.
F. Be sure the design meets the safety and design requirements in the DIME packet given to you.
Wire wrapped around a nail to make an electromagnet.
Wire wrapped around a nail to make an electromagnet.
Sample circuit diagram.....will need resistors.....
external image 11ElectroMagnetInvest.gif
Oh also here is the circuit diagram:
CircuitDiagram.PNG
circuitdiagramAmmeter.PNG
LIST OF FIGURES (not in order) 1. Photo of ferrofluid experimentation, magnet close to fluid 2. Photo of ferrofluid experimentation, magnet farther away from fluid 3. Circuit diagram 4. Diagram of experiment design 5. Diagram of a generic electromagnet
Magnet closer to the ferrofluid with the “spikes” closer together
Magnet closer to the ferrofluid with the “spikes” closer together
Magnet further from the ferrofluid, with the spikes more separated and easier to distinguish
Magnet further from the ferrofluid, with the spikes more separated and easier to distinguish
RESOURCES: *Remember to get some resources down here. You should be researching ideas and different effects. *
GROUP NAME: THE FDRmy ("army"/FDR is on the dime...get it?)
Natland Note (10/29/10): I have posted up the pictures taken of the ferrofluid today with the school camera at the bottom of this page so you can cut and paste them into your proposal.
Natland Note (10/26/10): At the bottom of this page I listed some information/links regarding electromagnets. Enjoy.
New Google Doc
Beecham: Drawing and Materials - You have the SolidWorks and know the dimensions.
Max: Hazardous Materials & Mass - You have the MSDS and you're the one ordering the plastics, which is going to make up most of the mass, everything else should be relatively neglible.
Orion: Science- We have most of this already in the paper, just make sure to elaborate a little.
Alissa: Circuit Diagram - Make sure to read what it says about how to do it. ALSO, talk to Natland about figuring out the power we're gonna use, more or less.
Left-over: Fasteners & How to contain the fluid - These are things that we've gotta discuss and figure out, not so much trouble to add in once we've got it.
Science - Orion
Provide some material from your team’s proposal to summarize the science aspects of the
experiment. Include a one or two sentence summary of the hypothesis or research objective.
Indicate the range of samples and/or conditions during testing. Identify explicitly what
measurements will be made to verify the hypothesis or to answer the team’s research
question.
Drawing - Beecham
Provide a detailed, labeled drawing of the apparatus as mounted for operations on the
NASA-provided Mounting Adaptor Plate. Dimensions (with units) and locations of the major
components should be shown. Include the Mounting Adaptor Plate in the drawing.
Materials - Beecham
A list of materials with type and quantity (and/or thickness) for all experiment
components must be included. Don’t forget the sample materials (if any) of the experiment,
such as salad oil or ginger ale fluid.
Hazardous Materials - Max
A list of materials with type and quantity (and/or thickness) for all chemicals used must be
included. Identify what (if any) chemical reaction products are created. If there is a question
about the acceptability of a particular material or chemical reaction product, discuss it with
your team’s NASA mentor right away rather than waiting to include it in the design project.
Fasteners -
Indicate the size and type of fasteners (e.g. bolts, nuts, and screws) to be used in the
construction of the major components. Bear in mind the Mounting Adaptor Plate has standard
1⁄4-20 threaded holes. Fastener size is a concern for the integrity of the experiment when it
“hits bottom” in the drop tower. Pieces of the experiment that may break could damage
NASA equipment.
Fluids -
Describe how fluids are contained within the experiment apparatus.
Survival - Matt
Describe design features that ensure survival of apparatus after impact of repeated drops.
Please describe how you provide secondary containment for your fluids in case of a leak
in the primary container.
Mass - Max
Prepare a table with the mass (use consistent units) of all components of the experiment
apparatus. This table should include all experiment fluids, samples, wires, connectors,
Mounting Adaptor Plate, etc. Ensure that the total mass is less than the limit specified in the
DIME Experiment Requirements Document.
Procedure - Matt
Provide a step-by-step procedure to prepare your team’s experiment apparatus for a drop
in the drop tower during DIME Drop Days. This should include the steps necessary to initially
prepare the experiment in a laboratory as well as any steps immediately before the experiment
is dropped. In addition, any action needed AFTER the experiment is released to fall should be
included in this procedure. The DIME Educational Rig, which is used to carry the experiment,
has a time delay relay that may be used to initiate an action at an adjustable time after the
experiment is released in the drop tower. See the DIME Experiment Requirements Document
for more details. The steps necessary to recover the data from the experiment after the drop is
complete should also be included.
While we realize the team is not really familiar with the drop tower operations, the point
of this requirement is to make a team think about the steps involved in preparing the
experiment for operations, what the experiment has to do during microgravity, and what has
to be done to the experiment to ready it for another drop.
Electrical Diagram - Alissa
If your experiment has an electrical devices, provide an electrical circuit diagram of your
experiment with identification of each component. Include wire sizes (i.e. wire gauge) and
fuse sizes. Ensure adequate length of cable to the power connectors (see the DIME
Experiment Requirements Document). The electrical connectors that plug into the
Educational Rig are provided by NASA. All other electrical components are to be supplied by
the team.
Time Delay - WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE POWER, PROBABLY WON'T BE USED
Data Logger - WON'T BE USED
Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1ychwPmpSdAvOMYLF5kl1jwsHbH2pCF_JjllVk7cJ3k8&hl=en&authkey=CI-2m5ME
REFERENCES THAT HAVE BEEN SITED
(ELECTROMAGNET/SOLENOID INFO)
"Magnets and Electromagnets." Hyperphysics . Web. 27 Oct. 2010. < http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/magnetic/elemag.html >.
(PERMIABILITY INFO)
"Ferromagnetism." Hyperphysics. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.< http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solids/ferro.html#c5 >.
(FERROFLUID INFO)
"Observation of the Unusual Properties of Ferrofluids." Spring 2001. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. < http://addis.caltech.edu/teaching/MS90/lab4-prt1.htm >.
(APPLICATIONS OF FERROFLUIDS)
"Ferrofluids." Exploring the Nanoworld . University of Wisconsin Madison, 2008. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. < http://www.mrsec.wisc.edu/Edetc/background/ferrofluid/index.html >.
III. TEAM ORGANIZATION
(Below are sample titles you guys can have, but you can choose somewhat different ones)
Team Coordinator:
Matt Susskind
Head Researcher:
Orion Phillips- Alissa Elan
Head of Construction/Supplies:
Max Kohrman
Head Designer:
Alex Beecham
Draft Editor:
Everyone
BRAINSTORMING
We all came up with these ideas together, but we are posting using one persons account for now.
More to come....
Group ideas:
1) Bubbles--Do bubbles last longer in microgravity, because gravity is one of the forces that causes bubbles to pop?
This one will be probably too hard to test given that you only have 2.2 seconds to perform the experiment in zero-g. Here is an interesting video that does not pertain directly but you might find interesting or may spark an idea:
http://www.youtube.com/user/dime10nasa#p/u/11/bmKMJezGTd8
2)Smoke--Fill balloon with a colored gas, observe the differences in the behavior of the gas when the balloon pops in microgravity vs earth gravity.
This is an interesting concept, but why should the balloon pop in zero gravity? If you want to observe behavior of the gas, however, you could have something actively pop the balloon. If you do this though, you should first have a hypothesis/prediction as to what should happen (based on knowledge of physics, chemisty, the kinetic theory of gases, etc.)
--The idea actually was to construct a device to actively pop the balloon and then observe what happens. We obviously didn't expect it to just pop on its own.
Good. It would be interesting to see if you could find video or time-lapse photos of a gas/fluid expanding into an open space to observe and compare the way that it diffuses (if this is what you are thinking to compare/address). It might be worth it to think about creating an enclosed chamber, evacuating it of air (so that only the balloon with the gas remains) and then perform this experiment. If you go along these lines, deciding them how to pop the balloon will be important.
3)Magnets--if a paper clip is suspended between two magnets, what happens to the clip as it enters microgravity?
This has been tested a bit in microgravity already (here is a videos below done through DIME), but that does not mean that they have done exhaustive tests on microgravity and magnets. What specifically could you test regarding magnetism (if you are not as sure, we could discuss this more).
http://www.youtube.com/user/dime10nasa#p/a/u/2/JFE8L690DUU
4) Ferro fluids-- how would the shape of a ferro fluids change in microgravity?
Run several tests of varrying strengths in regular gravity to see what has the best visable result. Observe in micro gravity
hypothesis = longer spikes, maybe not even spikes
material- we would need to create an iron cone. Hopefully we could cut groves into it horizontaly. (Beecham will talk to Mr. Dubard)
OR we would make an apparatus like this...
where the magnet repels instead of atracting
and we believe that it would form longer spikes
I heard you guys talking about this yesterday in class and found this DIME experiment.
For our experiment, we would set up different strengths of magnets and look at the different effects they have on the fluid's shape.
Since two magnets stuck together act like a more powerful, larger magnet, we could use buy a set of magnets and increase the strength by just adding more magnets.
It would also be interesting to test what happens with something really weak, like a refrigerator magnet.
We don't know how the shape of the magnets would affect the results. Would adding the magnets in a square shape cause a noticeably different shape than adding them in a line/ on top of each other? It would seem like adding them on top of each other would be the most similar, but it would also be more difficult to deal with, due to having to change the height of the plastic (probably not a huge problem, but a bit of an inconvenience). Playing with the ferrofluid will help us figure this stuff out though.
Gentlemen and lady, I have ordered you 12 oz of ferrofluid. I can give you the details tomorrow, but don't buy any. Here is the link to what I got you:
http://www.magnet4less.com/product_info.php?products_id=396
I ordered you two of these and one of the kits.
Sections I-III are limited to a total of 1500 words.
I. SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES
A. Describe briefly and clearly the research question you hope to answer.
How strong of an effect does gravity have on ferrofluid shape relative to the strength various magnets?
Seems decent enough. Could push this a bit further though.
B. Describe how you expect your proposed experiment to be changed by microgravity.
Gravity is not even a factor compared to a strong magnet in the fluid. Thus, we would expect little change from microgravity to regular gravity, but by starting with a strong magnet, and over a few trials, swap out magnets to steadily decrease the pull force with a similar or same surface area, we can find at what threshold of magnet strength, gravity makes a difference to the shape (size of spikes) of ferrofluids.
I don't think that you need to mention the 2006 DIME experiment. Also, I don't think you intend to really increase the strength of the magnet, but decrease it, correct? It could be useful to compare magnet strengths to the magnetic field of the Earth when discussing at what strength of magnet and thus magnetic field does gravity make a difference.
The test could be performed either way. We could start weak and increase the strength until we see a point where increasing the strength results in no change of the fluid, or we could do as you suggest. I'd like to start it off weak because as we've already seen, a strong magnet will make gravity's effect on the fluid very small.
C. Include a hypothesis that can be tested in 2.2 seconds of microgravity.
If a magnet were placed under a dish of ferrofluid, the spikes formed by the fluid would be longer in microgravity than in normal gravity, due to the weaker force of gravity pulling down on the fluid (effectively zero, correct?). This effect would be produced when a weak magnet acts on the ferrofluid, though with increasing strengths of magnet, the effect will lessen or disappear altogether.
D. Describe the procedures that will be used to observe, measure and interpret the results (this one will take alot if thought)
As the goal of the experiment is to observe the change in the length of the spikes, visual observation is all that is needed. We are interested in knowing the growth of the spikes and the final size of the spikes in order to compare. Visibility can be made easier with a grid behind the fluid/magnet set-up.
The results will be interpreted by comparing the change and final size of the fluid (spikes) in each test.
E. Describe the purpose and potential benefits from this experiment and address some possible practical applications of the work.
Ferro-fluids are a relatively new material. Their applications however, tend to be geared towards equipment that could be used on the ISS or other space missions. By seeing if the fluids are affected by a lack of gravity, we could help NASA make better tools and other devices that use ferrofluids. This would save NASA a lot of money especially since it is so expensive to get something into space. By designing it on earth right the first time, NASA would only have to send one shipment of a device rather than redesign it and then send it into orbit.
I did not quite follow the last sentence here...but I think this is pretty good. Also, look up some other applications of ferrofluids to get other ideas for how to apply what you could learn. Medical?
The last sentence means that it would be cheaper/more efficient if NASA designed a device properly the first time and sent it into space once rather than having to redesign it and send it up again. As far as medical applications, my dad uses small amounts of ferrofluids in MRI tests for whatever reason (he explained it to me but it made no sense). In addition, ferrofluids are used as a lubricant in mechanical devices and in electronics and computer parts (hard drives for example).
Also, ferrofluids work well as heatsinks. The Curie Effect shows that magnets become less powerful when heated, so a hot electromagnet surrounded by ferrofluid will heat the surrounding fluid, which will cause it to weaken, causing colder ferrofluid to move in to its place, draw heat, and so on.
Ferrofluids are also used to dampen undesired resonances resulting from a vibrating coil from induced electric energy in a loudspeaker. The fluid, by absorbing the resonances and dissipating the heat generated by the electric energy, significantly improves the sound quality of loudspeakers.
Furthermore, biomedical engineers are designing ferrofluids that, through injection, can transport medications through risky areas and passages of the body .
http://www.mrsec.wisc.edu/Edetc/background/ferrofluid/index.html
Remeber this needs to be done BY Monday Morning! Also, work as a team to tweak PART I
II. Technical Plan
A. Give a clear, detailed description of the experimental apparatus to be used and any hardware to be built. At least one figure or diagram of the experimental must be included in section V of your proposal (the Figures section)
Doing a diagram in solid works
Dish with ferrofluid (covered with container to eliminate possible mess) glued on top of a plastic sheet that is bolted to the NASA-supplied plate. Magnets will be placed under the plastic.
B. Describe the expected sequence of events during the operation of the experiment. Explain how it will answer your research question.
First, the pattern of the fluid will be seen in normal gravity before the drop. Then we'll see if the shape of the fluid changes while it is in micro gravity. Depending on the change in shape (or lack thereof) we can see how ferrofluids will behave in micro gravity. -draft
First, the pattern of the fluid will be seen in normal gravity before the drop of each trial. Then we will see if the shape of the fluid (size of spikes) will change or not change in microgravity. Depending on the change in shape (or lack thereof) and the pull force of the magnet during that trial, we will be able to determine roughly at which force of magnet gravity plays a large role in. (ones with a greater change in microgravity means that in regular gravity the force of g plays a role in the shape and is not "out done" by the magnets strength)-final
C. Explain the design features that will allow the experiment to survive the impact and be usable for another drop.
A sheet of plexiglass (polycarbonate-not likely to shatter) will be bolted (with wing nuts for easy assembly) on top of the magnets. This way the magnets will be held in place and the sheet of plexiglass will not break. On top of the sheet of plexiglass we will have the ferrofluid either in a petri dish or just sitting on the plastic. Over the entire apparatus, we will have a clear plastic case that will sit over everything, and will be fastened to the given plate using bolts. This will allow for easy access to the entire apparatus to make the quick swaps of magnets or clean up some ferrofluid. Also, the video camera will be able to see through the clear casing, but to be safe (that no ferrofluid splash will inhibit future trial viewing ability) we will start wiht strong magnets which we are relativley sure will not allow the ferrofluid to move that much in microgravity, or the rapid decceleration at the end.
D. Explain how your experiment will provide useful data which can be collected in 2.2 seconds.
The experiment really depends on seeing a change in the shape of the fluid. 2.2 seconds is more than enough time to see if there is a change especially since we'd only need one good frame of the fluid before we dropped it and another of when it is in free fall.
E. Describe ground testing prior to reduced-gravity testing.
Using the same rig for the experiment, we'd see if the fluid's shape changes when we increase the strength of the magnet. Basically, we'd run the experiment without the drop part.
F. Be sure the design meets the safety and design requirements in the DIME packet given to you.
Natland Note (10/26/10): Here ya go:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/magnetic/elemag.html
This site is where it is at. Great pictures too.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solids/ferro.html#c5
Scroll down to Relative Permiabilities (relative magnetic permiabilities) which discusses what material to use.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/electromagnet.htm/printable
This has just backgrounds on electromagnets
http://education.jlab.org/qa/electromagnet.html
Sample circuit diagram.....will need resistors.....
Oh also here is the circuit diagram:
LIST OF FIGURES (not in order)
1. Photo of ferrofluid experimentation, magnet close to fluid
2. Photo of ferrofluid experimentation, magnet farther away from fluid
3. Circuit diagram
4. Diagram of experiment design
5. Diagram of a generic electromagnet
RESOURCES:
*Remember to get some resources down here. You should be researching ideas and different effects. *
SOME FERROFLUIDS RESEARCH
http://addis.caltech.edu/teaching/MS90/lab4-prt1.htm
http://chemistry.about.com/od/demonstrationsexperiments/ss/liquidmagnet.htm
http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2009-09/making-ferrofluids-work-you
Magnet buying site
http://www.kjmagnetics.com/magnetsummary.asp